Door securing means



Nov. 30, 1948;

A. MATTHEWS ET AL DOOR SECURING MEANS Filed Dec; 21, ,1944

5 H mm m; N F. mm 6 4 d T v m 3 w Patented Nov. 30, 1948 DOOR SECURINGMEANS Albert Matthews and Frank A. Gerlach, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors1;

Machinery Company,

poration of Ohio The American Laundry Norwood, Ohio, a cor- ApplicationDecember 21, 1944, Serial No. 569,134

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to washing, cleaning or drying machines of thattype employing a hollow cylinder or drum for containing the work, suchas are used in laundries, dry cleaning establishments or the like. Theinvention has more particular relation to the cylinder doors and themeans for fastening or holding them in closed or open position.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement inwhich the doors are secured in closed position both by a locking boltand by a clamping band, both of which are operated by the same manuallyoperated device.

Another object is to provide improved door securing means of thecharacter described, in which the operating device is mounted on thedoor itself, rather than upon the cylinder.

Still another object is to provide a door looking bolt which also servesas an operator for a clamping or sealing band for the edge of the door.

Further objects of the invention in part are obvious and in part willappear more in detail hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of a drum or cylinder equipped withdoors embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail elevation, corresponding to Fig. 1, showingthe door closed;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line 3-3, Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional View, the line ll, Fig. 2.

While the invention is capable of use on a variety of machines ofdifierent form adapted for difierent uses, such as dry cleanin washers,drying tumblers, churns, or the like, for convenience, and in no senseof limitation, it has been shown applied to the drum or cylinder of anindustrial laundry washing machine.

The work holding cylinder l0 il ustrated rotates on a horizontal axisin-a stationary outer casing or tub (not shown) and, as shown inVetorino 2,082,921, June 8, 1937, is provided with a perforatecylindrical wall H connecting the and heads l2 provided with endtrunnions or zudgeons 13 adapted for mounting and ro- ;ation in suitablebearings (not shown) in the )uter tub or casing, as is usual. Thecylinier may also have its inner work holding space livided into severalcompartments or chambers 1y longitudinal or cross partitions, or both,re- [hiring a purality of doors, one such cross partiion l4 being shownand requiring two doors. lince the locking and clamping devices are theon a larger scale, on

same on all doors, the description of one set will sufiice for all.

The cylinder shown is provided with sliding doors l5, the curved sideedges of which travel in guiding recesses it along the edges of the dooropening, each door edge lying beneath a clamping band I! having itsupper end fastened, as at I8, to the body of the drum, and its lower endfree and provided, on its inner face, with an end block IS.

The lower horizontal edge portion of the door is bent into channel form,as shown in Fig. 4 to provide an outwardly presented cavity 20 in whichthe locking devices are mounted, said devices preferably being of suchform as to lie practically entirely within the cavity, thereby avoidingprojections therefrom where possible, and also reducing the necessaryclear space between the drum and outer casing or tub.

The locking devices, in the form shown, include, for each door,two-locking bolts 2|, each having a straight upper face 22 and aninclined lower face 23. The two bolts always move oppositely to eachother, by relative motion of approach or separation, as the result oftheir simultaneous operation by the same operating mocha nism.Preferably this is of the irreversible type, In other words operation ofthe mechanism will move the bolts in either direction, but force appliedto the bolts and working in the opposite direction cannot affect or movethe operating mechanism. As shown, each bolt has connected thereto a rod24 provided with a hooked end portion 25 engaging the spiral scroll of acam disc 26, capable of being turned by manipu ation of handle 21, andof the same general form illustrated in detail in the above mentionedVetorino Patent 2,082,921.

The free end of each clamping band is held down by suitable means, suchas the head of a bolt 28 screwed through an elongated slot 29 into astationary keeper member 30 mounted on the drum body.

Fig. 1 ilustrates the left-hand drum door in fully closed position, inwhich its lower edge 30 enters a recess or groove 32 along the loweredge of the door opening. By rotating the handle 2! in the properdirection, the spiral scroll of cam 26 moves the rods 24 and locking bots 22 outwardly, entering the ends of said bolts into the recesses orspaces between the stationary keeper member 30 and the end block l9 onthe free end of the clamping band I l. The engagement of the straightsurface 22 of the bolt with the stationary keeper member forms apositive lock preventing opening movement of the door until the cammechanism has been operated to release the lock bolts. At the same time,the inclined faces 23 of the bolts serve as wedges effective upon themovable end blocks l9 to move them downward in Fig. 1 and thus draw theclamping bands tightly against the side edges of the door. and theadjacent portions of the cylinderbody along which they travel.

Thus, in fully locked closed and locked posi tion of the door, the dooris not only locked, but. its edges are tightly clamped and thereby aresealed to the edges of the door opening, preventing chatter andvibration of theserelatively heavy metal parts such as might pinch andiii-'- jure portions of the fabric or other material being operated uponif the doors were loose.

Operation of the handle 21 in the reverse direction withdraws the boltsfrom the locking recesses, and releases the clamping bands, permittingthe door to be opened by sliding movement circumferentially of the drumor cylinder. Of course, if desired, the side edges of the door opening,at

1 one or more points, may be provided with additional recesses, notshown, to enable the door to be releasably held and. temporarily latchedor locked in any partially open or fully open position, but, of course,without operation of the clamping bands, the sealing and clamping effectof which is unnecessary in these door positions.

Except for the clamping bands, which of course are mounted upon thecylinder body itself, allthe locking and clamping, parts are mountedupon and carried by the movable door. At the same time the sameoperating mechanism serves two purposes, first, to produce a lockingeffect, and second, to produce a clamping effect. Neither operationinterferes with the other, but the operating mechanism is simplified andis thereby reduced in cost, with little likelihood of. getting out oforder in service.

Other advantages of :the invention will be ap parent to those skilled inthe art.

What we claim is:

1. In combination, a' rotatable work holding U,

drum having abody provided with a charging opening in its cylindricalwall, a door for said opening slidable' circumferentially of the drum,sealing bands lying over the side-edges 'of the door and mounted uponthe drum body, and means mounted upon and movable with the door foractuating saidbands to seal the joints between the door side edges anddrum body.

2. In combination; a rotatable work holding druni. having a chargingopening in its cylindrical wall, a door for said opening slidablecircumferentially of the drum, theside edges of the door opening beingprovided with locking recesses, bolt members oppositely slidable on thedoor into and out of said recesses, an operator therefor, and clampingbands extending along the curved'edge's of the door opening andoverlying the door edges, said bands each being fixed to the drum at oneendand at the other end having an abutment block, each bolt beingoperatively associated with one of said blocks to tighten the band whenthe bolt is moved toward locked position.

3. In combination, a rotatable work holding drum having a chargingopening in its cylindrical wall, a door for said opening slidablecircumferentially of the drum, clamping bands mounted upon the drum andextending over the edges of the door, one end of each band being fixedand the other endbeing movable, door locking means,

and common operating fneans for both the movable ends of said bands andsaid locking means mounted upon and movable with the door.

4. In combination, a rotatable work holding drum having a body providedwith a charging opening inits cylindrical wall, a door for said openingslidable circumferentially of the drum,

, sealing bands lyihg over the side edges of the door and mounted uponthe drum body, one end of each band bein fixed and the other beingmovable, and means mounted upon and movable with the door for actuatingthe movable ends of said bands to seal the joints between the door side.edges and drum body.

5'. In combination, a rotatable work holding drum having: a bodyprovided with a charging opening inits cylindrical wall and with alocking recess at one side of said opening, a door for said openingslidable circumferentially of the drum, asealing band lying over theside edge of the door and mounted upon the drum body, a locking boltslidably mounted upon the door and adapted to enter saidrecess when thedoor is in closed position, and operating means for said boltoperatively associated with both the locking bolt and the band and.thereby effective when operated both to advance said locking bolt intosaid recess to lockthe door and to actuate said band to cause the sameto seal the joint betwen the door side edge and the drum body.

6. In. combination, a rotatable work holding drum having a chargingopening in its cylindrical wall, a door for said opening slidablecircumferentially of the drum, clamping bands mounted on the drum. andextending cireu-mferentially thereof and over the side edges of the dooropening, one end of each band being fixed and the other movable, doorlocking means, and operating means mounted on the door and operativelyassociated with both the locking means and the bands and therebyeffective upon them for simultaneously advancing said locking meansto'door looking position and moving the movable ends of the bands totighten them upon the drum and along the side edgesof the door whenclosed.

ALBERT MA THEWS, FRANK A. GERLACH.

REFERENCES one!) The following references are. of record in thl file ofthis patent:

UNITED smite PATENTS Number I Name Date 459,533 Muller l Sept. 15; 18911,964,1-1fl Gerla'ch et al June 26, 193 2,082,921 Vetorino June 8, 193'

